Pylos Shipwreck: Depositions of the nine accused for trafficking on Monday – Questions about the actions of the Coast Guard

The nine accused traffickers who have been arrested after the fatal shipwreck in Pylos that has shocked Greece and Europe will appear before the investigative authorities today, Monday, June 19.

The defendants, all of Egyptian origin, face serious charges. More specifically, they are accused of illegal entry into the country, illegal alien trafficking, establishment of a criminal organization, causing a shipwreck, manslaughter and endangering life.

The arrested are expected to cross the threshold of the Kalamata Courthouse at 11:00 in the morning to appear before the investigating officer.

Also, ten arrests were made by the Pakistani authorities, with those arrested in the Asian country accused of participating in human trafficking related to the Pylos shipwreck.

It is estimated that over 200, perhaps 300 people from Pakistan were on board the ill-fated ship.

Many hours of testimony from survivors

Yesterday late Sunday afternoon, the long hours of testimony given by nine survivors who were transported from the hosting facility at Malakasa came to an end.

According to the ERT report, these are key witnesses who were asked to give additional testimony and deny that they are related to the illegal trafficking of immigrants. The arrested also deny their involvement in the case that claimed the lives of at least 78 people.

Therefore, it is not excluded today that some defense attorneys will request a new deadline from the investigator as they have not received knowledge of the entire case file, including the new depositions.

18 people remain in the Kalamata hospital – Investigations continue

Until yesterday Sunday, 18 people were hospitalized in the Kalamata hospital. In the structure of Malakasa, where the rest of the total 104 rescued people have been transferred, friends and family members flock to visit them every day.

Desperate relatives of missing people also arrive at the structure, in a last-ditch effort to find any information about their loved ones.

As the Coast Guard has announced, the search for missing persons continues today for the sixth day.

A navy frigate, three floating vessels and a helicopter are involved in the search.

New facts and testimonies expose Greek authorities

New evidence and new testimonies raise doubts about the actions of the Greek authorities in the handling of the Pylos shipwreck case. The new data revealed by international media such as the BBC cast doubt on the version of the Coast Guard which has repeatedly maintained that the fishing vessel was sailing to Italy without a problem and thus there was no need to set up a large-scale rescue operation.

At the same time, new testimonies of refugees are coming to light that claim that the shipwreck was caused after the attempt of the Coast Guard to tow the ship out of the maritime area under the responsibility of Greece.